vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle capable of properly recognizing an object which is detected by a sensor.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 travels on a road surface RS. The vehicle 1 includes a distance sensor 40 that detects an object, which is located ahead in an advancing direction, during traveling, a tilt mechanism 41 that displaces the distance sensor 40, and a controller 100 that processes detection information detected by the distance sensor 40. When an object is detected by the distance sensor 40, the tilt mechanism 41 performs a displacement motion of displacing the distance sensor 40. Based on the detection information obtained by the distance sensor 40 during the displacement motion, the controller 100 determines whether the detected object is an obstacle OB or a rising surface UG on which the vehicle can travel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle (mobile body) equipped with a distance sensor (distance measurement unit) that detects an object and measures the distance to the object. In this type of vehicle, if the attitude angle of the vehicle body is tilted, the distance sensor may erroneously detect the road surface (floor surface) as an object. To prevent erroneous detection, the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 acquires the attitude angle of the vehicle body using an attitude sensor side unit to calculate the effective range of the distance sensor, and invalidates the measurement values in the invalid range that are not included in the effective range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-189800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the vehicle's sensor tilts only slightly due to loads and other factors, and the number of distance sensor measurements that fall within the invalid range is small. Furthermore, a configuration that invalidates measurements within the invalid range cannot prevent erroneous detection by the sensor due to the surrounding environment, such as a slope ahead in the vehicle's direction of travel.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a vehicle that can appropriately recognize an object detected by a sensor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle that travels on a road surface, comprising: a sensor that detects an object ahead of the vehicle while traveling; a displacement mechanism that displaces the sensor; and a processing unit that processes detection information detected by the sensor, wherein the displacement mechanism performs a displacement operation to displace the sensor when the sensor detects an object, and the processing unit determines whether the detected object is an obstacle or a drivable road surface based on the detection information of the sensor during the displacement operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect, an object detected by a sensor can be appropriately recognized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view schematically illustrating a vehicle and a distance sensor according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Fig. 2(A) is a diagram showing the detection result of the tilting operation of the distance sensor when the object to be detected is an obstacle, and Fig. 2(B) is a diagram showing the detection result of the tilting operation of the distance sensor when the object to be detected is an uphill surface. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an object detection method according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an operation of returning the distance sensor. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a vehicle according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted. Note that the following description will be made regarding the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle 1 based on the directions of the arrows shown in FIG.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment has a vehicle body 10 and a plurality of wheels 20 that allow the vehicle body 10 to travel. The vehicle 1 is also a transport vehicle (car carrier) that travels with another vehicle (see the two-dot chain line in Fig. 1) loaded on the vehicle body 10. For example, the vehicle 1 is used to transport another vehicle from a factory where the vehicle is manufactured to an appropriate location (for example, a waiting area for the manufactured vehicle).

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment is configured as an unmanned vehicle with an autonomous driving function that travels on a road surface RS under the control of a control device 100 provided on the vehicle body 10 without a driver on board. For example, in the autonomous driving of the vehicle 1, the control device 100 automatically calculates a driving route based on map information, information on the starting point and destination, past information, etc., and moves the vehicle 1 along this driving route. Note that the driving route may be a preset route. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may be a manned vehicle (e.g., a passenger car, a bus, a truck, or other transport vehicle) that has a driver on board and travels based on the driver's operation. When the driver operates the vehicle 1, the control device 100 may provide driving assistance that automatically controls some or all of the operations related to the driving of the vehicle 1. For example, the driving assistance may include a collision avoidance function that automatically stops the vehicle 1 when an object such as an obstacle is detected in the vehicle's direction of travel. Alternatively, the driving assistance may simply provide driving guidance to the driver.

[0012] Specifically, the body 10 of the vehicle 1 has a front main part 11 formed high at the front side and a rear loading platform part 12 formed low behind the front main part 11, and is generally L-shaped in side view. The front main part 11 is equipped with a configuration that mainly controls driving. The rear loading platform part 12 is used to carry the other vehicle described above.

[0013] The plurality of wheels 20 include a pair of left and right front wheels 21 provided near the front main body portion 11, and a pair of left and right rear wheels 22 provided on the rear side of the rear cargo bed portion 12. In other words, the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment is a four-wheeled vehicle. The number of wheels 20 of the vehicle 1 is not particularly limited, and the vehicle 1 may be provided with two, three, or five or more wheels 20. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 may be configured to travel not by the wheels 20 but by another travel mechanism such as crawlers.

[0014] The front main part 11 includes therein a power source 30, a power transmission unit 31 that transmits the power of the power source 30 to the pair of left and right front wheels 21, a steering unit 32 that steers the pair of left and right front wheels 21, and a control device 100 that controls the running of the vehicle 1. Note that the front main part 11 may also include various other components for running the vehicle 1.

[0015] The power source 30 is, for example, an electric motor that rotates an output shaft. The power source 30 is rotated by receiving a supply of electric power from a power supply unit (not shown) provided inside the vehicle body 10. The power supply unit may be, for example, a battery and / or a fuel cell. Alternatively, the power source 30 is not limited to an electric motor, and may be an engine that rotates an output shaft based on the combustion of fuel, or may be a hybrid type that combines an electric motor and an engine.

[0016] The power transmission unit 31 includes a transmission, a gear mechanism, etc., and transmits the power of the output shaft of the power source 30 to each of the front wheels 21. The vehicle 1 may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle in which the power of the power source 30 is transmitted to each of the rear wheels 22, or a four-wheel drive vehicle in which the power of the power source 30 is transmitted to both the front wheels 21 and the rear wheels 22.

[0017] The steering unit 32 operates a steering motor (not shown) under the control of the control device 100, thereby adjusting the left-right tilt of each front wheel 21 via the steering mechanism 33. This allows the left-right direction of the vehicle 1 to be adjusted while traveling.

[0018] In order to transport another vehicle, the rear loading platform 12 is formed to be longer in the front-to-rear direction than the front main body 11. The rear loading platform 12 may also include a frame for supporting the other vehicle, a locking mechanism for locking the other vehicle, a slope for loading and unloading the other vehicle, and the like.

[0019] The control device 100 controls various components provided in the vehicle 1 to execute the autonomous driving function of the vehicle 1. The control device 100 is a computer (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) having a processor, memory, an input / output interface, and a communication interface. The processor is one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit made up of multiple discrete semiconductors, etc., and executes and processes programs stored in memory. The memory includes a main storage device made up of semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and an auxiliary storage device made up of a disk, semiconductor memory (flash memory), etc.

[0020] The vehicle 1 according to the embodiment includes a distance sensor 40 on the vehicle body 10, which is a sensor that detects an object ahead in the traveling direction. The distance sensor 40 is configured to detect an object ahead in the traveling direction and to calculate the distance from the vehicle body 10 (distance sensor 40) to the object. The distance sensor 40 transmits information on the presence or absence of an object and the distance to the detected object as detection information to the control device 100. The distance sensor 40 is installed, for example, on the front and lower side of the front main body portion 11 (near the bumper of the vehicle 1). The distance sensor 40 may also be installed on the front and upper side of the vehicle body 10. The vehicle 1 may also include a distance sensor 40 on the rear of the vehicle body 10 to detect an object (and the distance to the object) when backing up. The vehicle 1 may also include a distance sensor 40 on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 10 to detect an object (and the distance to the object) present on the side of the vehicle body 10.

[0021] The distance sensor 40 may be a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor that measures distance by emitting measurement light and detecting the reflected light. In the embodiment, an example in which LiDAR is used will be described. The measurement light of the distance sensor 40 may be infrared, visible light, or ultraviolet light. However, the type of sensor is not particularly limited, and various measuring devices capable of emitting measurement waves and receiving reflected waves may be used. Other measuring devices include, for example, two-dimensional measuring devices such as RADAR using millimeter waves (electromagnetic waves), ultrasonic sensors, and laser displacement meters. These two-dimensional measuring devices can easily detect objects and calculate the distance to the objects, thereby significantly reducing the information processing load of the control device 100 and shortening the processing time. Alternatively, the sensor is not limited to a two-dimensional measuring device, and imaging devices such as a monocular camera, a stereo camera, or a range imaging camera may also be used. Furthermore, the sensor may be a combination of multiple types of sensors described above.

[0022] The range of detection angles in the up-down direction of the distance sensor 40 that emits the measurement light is symmetrical with respect to the optical axis OL. For example, each angle of the distance sensor 40 in the up-down direction with respect to the optical axis OL can be set in the range of about 1° to 20°. The range of detection angles in the left-right direction of the distance sensor 40 can be set in the range of about 90° to 180°. It is preferable to select a distance sensor 40 that has a detectable distance in the forward direction of travel in the range of about 5 m to 50 m.

[0023] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a tilting mechanism 41 that tilts the distance sensor 40 in the up-down direction (vertical direction) of the vehicle 1. For example, the tilting mechanism 41 includes a holder 42 that holds the distance sensor 40, a motor 43 that is driven under the control of the control device 100, and a transmission unit 44 that displaces the holder 42 by the rotational driving force of the motor 43. With these components, the tilting mechanism 41 tilts the attitude of the entire distance sensor 40, thereby displacing the detection angle range of the distance sensor 40 in the up-down direction up and down. Note that in this specification, the "displacement" of the sensor is a concept that includes a change in attitude due to tilting (rotation), a change in position due to movement, etc.

[0024] The tilting mechanism 41, for example, rotatably connects the base end side of the holder 42 to the frame 13 of the vehicle body 10, while supporting the tip end side of the holder 42 by a movable body 44a of the transmission unit 44 so that it can move up and down. The transmission unit 44 uses a gear mechanism such as a pinion and rack, or a ball screw mechanism, and converts the rotational driving force of the motor 43 into linear motion to move the movable body 44a (the tip end side of the holder 42) up and down. Note that the tilting mechanism 41 may be configured to fix the housing of the distance sensor 40, while tilting only the detector (the part that transmits measurement light and receives reflected light).

[0025] 1, the tilting mechanism 41 changes the attitude of the distance sensor 40 between a first position P1 where the optical axis OL of the distance sensor 40 is horizontal and a second position P2 where the optical axis OL of the distance sensor 40 is tilted upward relative to the horizontal. The first position P1 is an attitude at which the distance sensor 40 repeats detection when it has not detected an object. The second position P2 is a movement limit position of the distance sensor 40 when it is tilted upward after detecting an object. The angular range between the first position P1 and the second position P2 (i.e., the angular range in which the tilting mechanism 41 tilts the distance sensor 40) depends on the mounting position of the distance sensor 40, the detectable distance, etc., but may be set to a range of approximately 5° to 30°, for example.

[0026] The vehicle 1 also includes a detection sensor 46 to recognize the current attitude (tilt angle) of the distance sensor 40. The detection sensor 46 may be, for example, a rotary encoder, an acceleration sensor, or the like. The tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 detected by the detection sensor 46 is transmitted to the control device 100. The detection sensor 46 may also be a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the motor 43.

[0027] The distance sensor 40 detects an object while tilting upward from the first position P1 due to the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism 41, and transmits detection information on the presence or absence of the object and the distance to the object to the control device 100. After the distance sensor 40 detects an object, the control device 100 processes the detection information of the distance sensor 40 that accompanies the tilting operation of the distance sensor 40, thereby functioning as a processing unit that recognizes the type, state, etc. of the object detected by the distance sensor 40.

[0028] Next, the significance of detecting an object by changing (tilting) the attitude of the distance sensor 40 while the vehicle 1 is traveling will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(B), when the vehicle 1 is traveling, the distance sensor 40 detects an object that comes within the detectable distance of the distance sensor 40. However, while the distance sensor 40 is good at detecting the presence or absence of an object and the distance from the vehicle body 10 to the object, it is not necessarily suited to recognizing the type or state of the object. For example, the object detected by the distance sensor 40 may be an obstacle OB that is facing the vehicle body 10, or an inclined road surface RS that the vehicle 1 can climb (hereinafter referred to as an "uphill surface UG").

[0030] In a conventional vehicle, when a distance sensor erroneously detects an uphill road UG as an object, the vehicle recognizes that a collision must be avoided and performs control such as stopping the vehicle. In other words, a vehicle using a conventional distance sensor frequently experiences an abnormal stop due to erroneous detection of an uphill road UG. In particular, when the uphill road UG has a steep slope, the possibility of erroneous detection of the uphill road UG tends to increase.

[0031] Therefore, the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment starts the tilting operation (displacement operation) of the tilting mechanism 41 based on the detection of an object by the distance sensor 40, and utilizes the detection information of the object during the tilting operation (displacement operation). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2(A), while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the distance sensor 40, which is disposed at a first position P1, repeatedly detects whether or not an object is present ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction (the direction in which the optical axis is approximately parallel to the road surface RS). When an object enters the detectable distance, the distance sensor 40 transmits detection information of the presence of the object and the distance to the object to the control device 100. The control device 100 operates the tilting mechanism 41 from the timing when the distance sensor 40 first recognizes an object, and gradually tilts the distance sensor 40 from the first position P1 toward the second position P2 (see FIG. 1).

[0032] When an obstacle OB is present ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction, the control device 100 detects the object while tilting the distance sensor 40, and obtains detection information in which the distance to the object remains almost constant. In other words, if the change in the distance to the object is small even when the distance sensor 40 is tilted, the control device 100 can recognize the object as an obstacle OB.

[0033] 2(B), when an uphill road UG exists ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, the control device 100 obtains detection information in which the distance to the object changes significantly when the control device 100 detects an object while tilting the distance sensor 40. In other words, when the change in the distance to the object is significant when the distance sensor 40 is tilted, the control device 100 can recognize that the object is an uphill road UG.

[0034] Therefore, the control device 100 associates the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 with the distance to the object detected by the distance sensor 40, and by monitoring changes in the tilt angle and the detected distance, it can determine whether the object detected by the distance sensor 40 is an obstacle OB or an uphill UG. Note that for ease of understanding, FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) illustrate a state in which the position of the vehicle 1 does not change. However, since the vehicle 1 continues to travel while the distance sensor 40 is tilting after detecting the object, it approaches the object. Therefore, in reality, the control device 100 determines whether the object is an obstacle OB or an uphill UG by taking into account the travel distance (travel speed) of the vehicle 1 in addition to the distance detected by the distance sensor 40.

[0035] The vehicle 1 according to the embodiment is basically configured as described above, and its operation (object detection method) will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. The control device 100 of the vehicle 1 executes the processing flow of steps S101 to S110 in Fig. 3 as the object detection method while the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0036] In the object detection method, the control device 100 first determines whether or not an object is present ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction based on the detection information of the distance sensor 40 located at the first position P1 (step S101). If the distance sensor 40 does not detect an object (step S101: NO), the control device 100 repeats this step S101 while the vehicle 1 continues traveling, thereby repeatedly detecting the object. On the other hand, if the distance sensor 40 detects an object (step S101: YES), the control device 100 proceeds to step S102.

[0037] In step S102, the control device 100 starts the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism 41 to tilt the distance sensor 40. The speed at which the distance sensor 40 is tilted may be a preset fixed value, or may be a variable value that changes based on, for example, the moving speed of the vehicle 1. The control device 100 may be configured to repeatedly move and stop the distance sensor 40 every arbitrary angle unit (for example, 1°) to detect an object when the distance sensor 40 is stopped, or may be configured to detect an object while the distance sensor 40 is moving linearly.

[0038] Then, the control device 100 acquires the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 during the tilting operation via the detection sensor 46 (step S103). Note that if the motor 43 of the tilting mechanism 41 is a stepping motor or the like, the control device 100 may calculate the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 based on a command value of the motor 43.

[0039] Furthermore, the control device 100 acquires detection information from the distance sensor 40 during the tilting operation, extracts the detected distance from the vehicle body 10 to the object, and stores the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 and the detected distance in association with each other in memory (step S104). This allows the control device 100 to acquire a plot of the tilt angle and the detected distance.

[0040] However, as described above, since the vehicle 1 is traveling, the distance from the vehicle body 10 to the object is shorter than the position where the object was first detected. Therefore, the control device 100 adds the moving distance of the vehicle body 10 to the plot (tilt angle, detected distance) and stores it in memory. At this time, the control device 100 may calculate a corrected distance by adding the moving distance of the vehicle body 10 to the detected distance of the distance sensor 40, and store this corrected distance and tilt angle as a plot.

[0041] The control device 100 then determines whether the type and state of the object detected by the distance sensor 40 can be identified based on the multiple plots stored in the memory (step S105). This determination can be made, for example, by monitoring whether a preset number of plots have been obtained. Alternatively, the control device 100 may determine that the state of the object can be identified based on, for example, when the change in the detected distance in the multiple plots is greater than a predetermined value or when the distance sensor 40 no longer detects the object. If the state of the object cannot be identified (step S105: NO), the control device 100 returns to step S102 and repeats the same processing flow. On the other hand, if the state of the object can be identified (step S105: YES), the control device 100 proceeds to step S106. If the state of the object can be identified, the tilting operation of the distance sensor 40 may be stopped.

[0042] In step S106, the control device 100 uses the multiple plots stored in memory to determine whether the object detected by the distance sensor 40 is an obstacle OB or an uphill surface UG. The determination of whether the object is an obstacle OB or an uphill surface UG is made using the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 and the detected distance from the vehicle body 10 to the object, as described above.

[0043] 2(A) and 2(B), the vehicle 1 acquires the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 and the detected distance to the object at the timing when the distance sensor 40 located at the first position P1 first detects the object. The tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 at the first position P1 is 0°. As the tilting operation by the tilt mechanism 41 starts, the tilt angle increases from 0°, and the control device 100 associates and stores the tilt angle of the distance sensor 40 with the detected distance of the object.

[0044] If the object detected by the distance sensor 40 is an obstacle OB, plots (black circles) will be obtained in which the detection distance does not change significantly even if the tilt angle increases with the tilting operation, as shown in the graph in the lower part of Figure 2(A). Therefore, when an obstacle OB is detected, the connection line connecting the plots will show that the detection distance remains roughly constant (flat) even if the tilt angle increases.

[0045] On the other hand, if the object detected by the distance sensor 40 is an upward surface UG, the obtained plots show that the tilt angle and detection distance each increase with the tilting operation, as shown in the graph in the lower diagram of Fig. 2(B). Therefore, the line connecting the plots when an upward surface UG is detected shows a change in which the detection distance increases in a substantially linear manner as the tilt angle increases.

[0046] Therefore, the control device 100 can determine whether an object is an obstacle OB or an uphill surface UG by monitoring the inclination of each plot associated with detection by the distance sensor 40. For example, the control device 100 has a threshold for determining the inclination of each plot, and determines an object as an obstacle OB when the connection between each plot is below the threshold, and determines an object as an uphill surface UG when the connection between each plot is equal to or greater than the threshold. Also, if the detection distance increases during tilting of the distance sensor 40 and the object is no longer detected, it can be said that the detection range of the distance sensor 40 in the vertical direction has moved out of the uphill surface UG (see the dotted line in the graph in FIG. 2(B)). In this case, too, the control device 100 may determine that the detected object is an uphill surface UG. In this way, the control device 100 can accurately determine the type and state of an object by using the tilt angle and detection distance of the distance sensor 40.

[0047] Returning to FIG. 3, when the control device 100 determines that the object is an obstacle OB (step S106: YES), the control device 100 proceeds to avoidance control for avoiding contact between the obstacle OB and the vehicle 1 (step S107). This avoidance control is not particularly limited, and examples include performing operations such as stopping the vehicle 1 from traveling or changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. This allows the control device 100 to stably avoid contact between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle OB.

[0048] On the other hand, if the control device 100 determines that the object is on an uphill surface UG (step S106: NO), there is no need to stop the vehicle 1 from traveling, and the control device 1 continues traveling toward the uphill surface UG (step S108).

[0049] When the vehicle 1 is heading toward the uphill surface UG, the control device 100 compares the detected distance when the object was first detected with the actual distance the vehicle is actually traveling, and determines whether the actual distance has reached the detected distance, in other words, whether the vehicle 1 has reached the uphill surface UG (step S109). If the actual distance has not reached the detected distance, the same determination is repeated, but if the vehicle 1 has reached the uphill surface UG, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0050] Then, in step S110, the control device 100 performs an operation to return the distance sensor 40 that was tilted upward. Specifically, as shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 4, when the vehicle 1 detects an uphill surface UG, the distance sensor 40 approaches the uphill surface UG in an attitude tilted upward by the tilting operation.

[0051] If the vehicle 1 travels on the uphill surface UG with the distance sensor 40 tilted upward, the distance sensor 40 will remain in a state of being significantly tilted with respect to the uphill surface UG, and if an object is present on the uphill surface UG, the distance sensor 40 will likely not detect the object. Therefore, the control device 100 returns the distance sensor 40 to the first position P1 when the vehicle 1 reaches the uphill surface UG, as shown in the middle diagram of Fig. 4. As a result, when the vehicle 1 travels on the uphill surface UG, the distance sensor 40, which has returned to the first position P1, can properly detect objects on the uphill surface UG, as shown in the bottom diagram of Fig. 4.

[0052] 3, in the object detection method, the processing flow ends when step S108, which performs avoidance control, and step S110, which returns the distance sensor 40 on the uphill surface UG, are executed. If the vehicle 1 continues traveling, the control device 100 can appropriately detect objects by repeatedly executing this object detection method, allowing the vehicle 1 to travel stably.

[0053] The vehicle 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and may take various modified forms. For example, the vehicle 1 is configured to tilt the distance sensor 40 using the tilt mechanism 41, but the mechanism is not limited to the tilt mechanism 41 and may take various forms as long as it is possible to change the position of the optical axis (axis of the measurement wave) of the distance sensor 40 relative to the object. For example, the vehicle 1 may apply, as the displacement mechanism for the distance sensor 40, an elevation mechanism that raises and lowers the distance sensor 40 in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the optical axis).

[0054] For example, the vehicle 1 may be configured to run using a remote control function via external communication. The operating entity that operates the vehicle 1 using the remote control function may be a user's mobile terminal (remote control, smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, wearable computer, etc.), a remote control room that simulates a driver's seat, or a management computer that manages the vehicle 1.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in a modified example in FIG. 5 , the vehicle 1A may be configured such that the direction of the optical axis OL of the distance sensor 40 is tilted by tilting the vehicle body 10 itself, without providing the tilting mechanism 41 to the distance sensor 40. For example, when the control device 100 of the vehicle 1A detects an object using the distance sensor 40, it raises the air suspension 23 on the front wheel 21 side of the rear cargo bed 12. As a result, the rear cargo bed 12 is displaced so that the front wheel 21 side is tilted relative to the rear wheel 22 side. In response to this tilt of the rear cargo bed 12, the upper part of the front main body part 11 of the vehicle 1A tilts diagonally rearward. Therefore, the distance sensor 40 fixed to the front main body part 11 is also displaced so as to tilt upward in accordance with the tilt of the front main body part 11. In other words, even in the vehicle 1A according to the modified example, by detecting an object while tilting the distance sensor 40, it is possible to accurately recognize the type and state of the object.

[0056] The technical concept and effects of the present invention explained in the above embodiment will be described below.

[0057] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle 1, 1A traveling on a road surface RS, which is equipped with a sensor (distance sensor 40) that detects objects ahead in the direction of travel while traveling, a displacement mechanism (tilt mechanism 41, air suspension 23) that displaces the sensor, and a processing unit (control device 100) that processes detection information detected by the sensor, wherein the displacement mechanism performs a displacement operation to displace the sensor when the sensor detects an object, and the processing unit determines whether the detected object is an obstacle OB or a drivable road surface (uphill surface UG) based on the detection information of the sensor during the displacement operation.

[0058] According to the above, when an object is detected by the sensor (distance sensor 40), the vehicle 1, 1A detects the object while displacing the sensor. This allows the processing unit (control device 100) of the vehicle 1, 1A to accurately determine whether the detected object is an obstacle OB or a drivable road surface (uphill UG). Therefore, for example, if the object is an uphill UG, it is not necessary to perform an operation such as stopping the vehicle 1, 1A, and the chances of stopping the vehicle 1 can be reduced. In other words, the vehicle 1, 1A can appropriately recognize the object detected by the sensor and can travel stably on the road surface RS.

[0059] The sensor is a distance sensor 40 capable of detecting the distance to an object, and the processing unit (control device 100) determines whether the road surface is an obstacle OB or a drivable road surface (uphill surface UG) based on the displacement information (tilt angle) of the sensor during the displacement operation and the detected distance detected by the sensor. Thus, by applying the distance sensor 40, the vehicles 1, 1A can accurately determine the type and state of the detected object while reducing the processing load of the processing unit.

[0060] Furthermore, when the processing unit (control device 100) determines that the road surface is drivable (uphill UG), it returns the displaced sensor (distance sensor 40) to its original position based on the fact that the vehicle body 10 has reached the position where the sensor first detected the object. This allows the vehicle 1, 1A to detect the object again using the sensor that has returned to its original position when traveling on the uphill UG.

[0061] The vehicles 1 and 1A according to the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The matters described in the above-described embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1, 1A vehicle 23 Air suspension 40 Distance Sensor 41 Tilt mechanism 100 control device OB Obstacles UG Upward

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle traveling on a road surface, a sensor that detects an object ahead while the vehicle is traveling; a displacement mechanism for displacing the sensor; a processing unit that processes detection information detected by the sensor, the displacement mechanism performs a displacement operation to displace the sensor when an object is detected by the sensor, the processing unit determines whether the detected object is an obstacle or a drivable road surface based on the detection information of the sensor during the displacement operation. vehicle.

Images